Celtic Women are delighted to have signed two experienced players from the United States, Darcy McFarlane and Jaclyn Poucel. The two players, who trained with their new team-mates for the first time on Thursday night, are available for this Sunday’s league clash with reigning champions, Glasgow City, at the K-Park Training Academy, East Kilbride.
The two players are delighted to have joined Celtic and are eager to play their part in helping deliver success for the women’s team, who have started the 2017 with two wins – a League Cup victory over Forfar and an opening day league triumph over Hamilton last weekend.
Jaclyn Poucel (24) is a central defender from Lancaster, Pennsylvania who has been playing football since ever she can remember. She told the official Celtic website: “My mum was a footballer who represented her state, New Jersey and went on to play in Belgium.
“Injury ended her career early, but she obviously wanted me to play, and we started to kick a ball around on our driveway when I was about three. One of my first football lessons was not to fall down on the hard surface.
“When she took me to see Celtic beat Manchester United 2-1 in a tour match in 2004 I was amazed at the size of the crowd, the noise, the chanting and the singing. I was hooked on soccer from that time on, and have taken an interest in Celtic ever since.
“I started to play team football in a boys’ team in my hometown until I was about 14,” she continued, “and then I moved on to girls’ football, with Herschey Girls’ Soccer team and played with them until I went to the University of Pittsburgh and I played with them in Division One Atlantic Coast Conference for my four years there.”
Jaclyn graduated with a BA in Art History, and hopes in future to use that qualification to work as a professional historian. Her focus in the meantime is to make an impression on the Scottish scene.
Her football career after graduation took her to Boston Breakers before moving to Finland to play professionally. After six months, she moved on to Iceland club Akranes where she played for the whole of last season.
“I’m a defender who likes to tackle, and I’m good in the air,” she said. “My experience allows me to be vocal and help to organise the defence and I think I’ll be able to help the younger players at Celtic.”
Reported by Celtic FC
Picture: Celtic FC
